Title
Recommendation to Endorse the Design Concept for the Clement Avenue/Tilden Way Project and Authorize the City Manager to Execute a Third Amendment to the Agreement with Kittelson & Associates to Increase Compensation by $1,130,000, Including Contingencies, for a Total Aggregate Compensation Not-to-Exceed $1,475,876, to Provide Additional Technical Services Related to the Clement Avenue/Tilden Way Project. In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), this project is categorically exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15301(c) Existing Facilities (Minor alterations to existing facilities including bicycle facilities) and Section 15304(h) (Minor Alterations to Land and the creation of bicycle lanes on existing public rights of way). (Transportation 20962743) [Not heard on March 7, 2023]
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jennifer Ott, City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Clement Avenue/Tilden Way design concept includes an important segment of the Cross Alameda Trail, a number of important transportation safety improvements in the project area, and an expansion of public open space for the adjacent “Wedge” and Fernside neighborhoods that could include a dog park. A separate community planning process, led by the Recreation and Parks Department (ARPD), will occur to design and program the future park space created by the project. Staff is recommending that the City Council authorize an amendment to the existing consultant contract to enable work to begin on detailed project design in preparation for construction and acquisition of necessary permits and approvals from state agencies related to waterfront improvements and hazardous material protocols. If approved, construction could begin in 2024 and be completed in 2025. Information regarding the Clement/Tilden project outreach and background is available on the project webpage: www.alamedaca.gov/ClementTilden <http://www.alamedaca.gov/ClementTilden>
BACKGROUND
Over the last 20 years, the City of Alameda (City) has been planning for and constructing the Cross Alameda Trail on former railroad right-of-way, spanning from Seaplane Lagoon at Alameda Point to the Miller-Sweeney/Fruitvale Bridge. Upon completion, the cross island, low-stress bicycle and pedestrian facility will provide a safe, comfortable and convenient facility for bicyclists and pedestrians across the city.
As of January 2023, three “gaps” in the Cross Alameda Trail still need to be closed. In mid-2023, construction will start on Clement Avenue to build the segment between Willow Street and Broadway. On February 6, 2023, the City Council approved the new residential project on the former Pennzoil site, which includes construction of the Clement Avenue extension and the Cross Alameda Trail segment between Hibbard and Grand Street. The third and final section to be constructed is the section from Broadway to the Miller-Sweeney/Fruitvale Bridge, which is included in this Clement/Tilden project.
The Clement/Tilden project is made possible by a series of important City Council decisions including:
• In 2009, the City Council approved the Transportation Element of the General Plan policy that directs staff to "Pursue opportunities to utilize the corridor of the former Alameda Belt Line railroad for transit, bicycle and pedestrian transportation." The 2009 General Plan also listed Clement (East) between Broadway and Tilden Way as a future new street, and listed both Clement Avenue and Tilden Way as truck routes and regional arterials;
• In 2017, the City Council appropriated $1.7 million in Measure BB grant funds and $548,000 of local match for fiscal years 2017 to 2019 as shown in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for the Clement/Tilden project;
• In 2018, the City Council authorized the pre-construction grant funding agreement with the Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) totaling $2 million in Measure BB funds and $445,000 in local match, and also approved taking action to acquire Union Pacific property via eminent domain for the Clement Avenue/Tilden Way extension;
• In 2019, the City Council appropriated an additional $2 million in Measure BB grant funds and $470,000 of local match for fiscal years 2019 to 2021 as shown in the CIP for the Clement/Tilden project; and
• In 2021, after several years of real estate negotiations, the City Council finalized the purchase of the Clement/Tilden property from Union Pacific via eminent domain for $1.54 million. The City Council also approved the Second Amendment of the Agreement for Kittelson Associates that included planning and outreach for the Clement Avenue/Tilden Way project.
In 2022, staff conducted extensive public outreach to solicit input on the design of the Clement Avenue/Tilden Way project, including the Cross Alameda Trail, Clement Avenue extension, bicycle/pedestrian safety improvements, truck route and other opportunities. This work included two stakeholder meetings with about 20 participants, a virtual community workshop with about 30 participants, an in-person Open House with 15-19 participants and a survey with 175 and 116 respondents. To notify interested parties, the City sent out two letters to over 300 adjacent properties, provided sandwich boards at adjacent intersections, and posted social media alerts and emails to City lists. The project webpage - www.alamedaca.gov/ClementTilden <http://www.alamedaca.gov/ClementTilden> - has recordings of the virtual community workshops as well as survey results and outreach summaries under the “Town Hall” tab.
Design input was also included from Alameda County staff, AC Transit, Alameda Housing Authority, BART Bicycle Task Force, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), Bike Walk Alameda, Bridgeside Shopping Center, Commission on Persons with Disabilities, City of Oakland staff, Downtown Area Business Association, Edison School families, Greer Mortuary, San Francisco Bay Trail, Recreation and Parks Commission, Unity Council in Oakland, and individual members of the public.
In January 2023, the Transportation Commission unanimously endorsed the Clement/Tilden concept with an amendment to include future proofing with communications/conduit infrastructure. On September 8, 2022, after multiple public discussions of potential East End/Bay Farm Island dog park locations, the Recreation and Parks Commission voted to direct City staff to explore the Clement/Tilden project site for a potential dog park location. In February 2023, the Recreation and Parks Commission endorsed the open space design in this concept, including a dog park.
DISCUSSION
Existing Conditions: The proposed design concept is shaped by the existing conditions in the project area:
• The project area includes a mix of uses including residential and commercial uses;
• Tilden Way is an important gateway into the city for automobiles, trucks, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Blanding Avenue, Clement Avenue and Park Street are high-injury corridors and the Blanding/Tilden/Fernside intersection is a high crash intersection. The Clement/Tilden study area reports 21 injury crashes between 2011 and 2020 with pedestrians and bicyclists accounting for 38 percent of total injury crashes but only 9 percent of the study area trips. The Alameda intersections in the areas operate at or below 75 percent of capacity during the weekday morning and evening peak hours;
• Alameda County plans to keep the four travel lanes on the bridge and narrow these travel lanes to add bicycle lanes in each direction;
• AC Transit operates trunk line frequent service on Line 51A as well as peak services on Lines O, W, 663 and 78 and local line infrequent service on Lines 19 and 851, which connect the study area to/from Oakland and Fruitvale BART;
• Tilden Way, Clement Avenue, Broadway and Alameda Avenue in the City of Oakland are designated truck routes. The sharp right turn going westbound from Tilden Way to Broadway does not work for heavy vehicles even though it is on the designated truck route. This causes trucks to instead use Blanding Avenue, Lincoln Avenue or Park Street through commercial and residential areas;
• Waterfront paths exist to the west of the study area in the Bridgeside/Nob Hill shopping center, as required by BCDC; and
• The “Wedge neighborhood” between Park Street, Tilden Way and the estuary is not as well served as most neighborhoods, in terms of proximity to public open space and parks.
Design Plans: The proposed improvements as shown in Exhibit 2 and as described in Exhibit 3 include:
Cross Alameda Trail: The Clement/Tilden concept closes the gap between Alameda’s Clement Avenue Cross Alameda Trail project and the City of Oakland's Fruitvale Avenue protected bikeway project. The concept allows for a bicycle “freeway” between Alameda Point and Fruitvale BART by providing low stress, protected bikeways on the Clement Avenue extension and on Tilden Way. The concept is consistent with, and implements, the recently approved Active Transportation Plan in the study area.
Roundabout: The concept includes a roundabout at the existing Tilden Way/Blanding Avenue/Fernside Blvd. intersection. Roundabouts have been proven to reduce automobile delay, public maintenance costs, speeding, and fatal and severe injury crashes up to 78 percent compared to traffic signals. For emergency evacuation, the roundabout is designed to handle contraflow, if needed, so that all travel lanes can be used to exit Alameda. Please refer to the following Metropolitan Transportation Commission roundabout webpage for videos of roundabouts in action: <https://mtc.ca.gov/operations/programs-projects/streets-roads-arterials/roundabouts>
Road Diet and Speed Limits: The concept reduces the number of lanes on Tilden Way from four to two or three depending on the roadway section. Road diets have been shown to reduce crashes up to 47 percent, and will allow the City to reduce the speed limit to 25 miles per hour on Tilden Way between the Miller-Sweeney/Fruitvale Bridge and Broadway consistent with the rest of the city.
Clement Extension: The concept includes a one-way, westbound vehicle extension between Tilden Way and Clement Avenue. This one lane, one block extension of Clement Avenue will reduce vehicle miles traveled and will provide incoming vehicles a more direct route to the cross-town Clement Avenue truck route. The extension will slightly reduce traffic volumes, including trucks, on Blanding Avenue, portions of Tilden Way and Park Street by eliminating the need for westbound vehicles entering the City to use those streets to access Clement Avenue. An all-way stop at Broadway and Clement Avenue will improve safety and the ability for people to more easily cross Broadway.
Open Space: The concept includes space for a linear neighborhood park with a potential dog park, along Tilden Way. A separate community planning process would occur to design and program the park space and the final draft design would require approval of the Recreation and Parks Commission as well as City Council. The current concept includes a potential area for a dog park totaling approximately 17,000 square feet that was recommended by the Recreation and Parks Commission. There is $75,000 allocated in the Capital Improvement Project budget for an East End dog park that will be allocated toward construction of a dog park at this site but the remainder of the open space component of the project is unfunded. There are four open space areas of varying sizes that are available for recreational programming. Community suggestions received to date from the Clement/Tilden public input process include: a community garden, pocket play areas, a dog park, seating areas and bicycle parking. The site includes a number of oak trees, which the concept will avoid removing where possible, and the design includes privacy fencing or other measures for the adjacent property on Broadway and Clement Avenue.
On Street Public Parking. The concept maintains all existing on-street parking in the area with the exception of approximately six spaces on Fernside Avenue.
Automobile Access. The concept maintains all currently available automobile turning movements in the area with the exception of the ability to turn left from Pearl Street onto Tilden Way.
Project Budget: The Clement/Tilden project is estimated to cost approximately $10 million. Costs include right-of-way acquisition, which is completed, planning and design, hazardous materials remediation and construction. The City has received an $8.4 million Measure BB grant, which requires a $1.5 million local match.
Staff is recommending that the City Council authorize the third amendment to the existing consultant contract to enable work to begin on detailed project design in preparation for construction and acquisition of necessary permits and approvals from state agencies related to waterfront improvements and hazardous material protocols. The budget amendment will allow the City to complete the following tasks:
|
# |
Task Name |
Funding Source |
Amount |
|
1 |
Coordination and Management |
Funded proportionally according to the tasks below. |
$87,893 |
|
2 |
Investigations, Reports |
Clement/Tilden project (C65300) |
$206,117 |
|
3 |
Stakeholder Engagement |
Clement/Tilden project (C65300) |
$69,905 |
|
4 |
Design (30%) |
Clement/Tilden project (C65300) |
$145,491 |
|
5 |
Final Plans, Specifications and Costs |
Clement/Tilden project (C65300) |
$357,033 |
|
6 |
Construction Support |
Clement/Tilden project (C65300) |
$63,561 |
|
7 |
Citywide Concept Development, Grant Writing |
Measures B and BB Local Streets & Roads out of the Transportation Planning Unit for Multi-modal Projects (20962743) |
$100,000 |
|
8 |
Contingency |
Funded according to the task, if needed |
$100,000 |
|
|
Total |
|
$1,130,000 |
The City Council previously approved the Second Amendment in December 2021 with the Original Agreement and the First Amendment only requiring City staff approvals. Exhibits 4 through 9 include the Original Agreement, amendments and the proposed work scope and budget of the Third Amendment. If approved, construction could begin in 2024 and be completed in 2025.
ALTERNATIVES
The City Council may consider a range of alternatives:
• Authorize the recommended contract amendment;
• Authorize the recommended contract amendment with revisions determined necessary by the City Council; and
• Direct staff to pursue a different design approach and return at a future date with a revised contract.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The proposed Kittelson consultant budget to complete design and to provide construction engineering support for the Clement/Tilden Project totals $1,130,000 for this Third Amendment to the Agreement. The project is budgeted as CIP Project C65300 (formerly CIP No 91820) - Clement/Tilden Project in the Fiscal Years 2019-21 Capital Budget, and is funded by a Measure BB grant from Alameda CTC, Transportation Development Impact Fees, Gas Tax and Construction Impact Fees. Citywide roundabout work is funded through Measures B and BB Local Streets & Roads out of the Transportation Planning Unit for Multi-modal Projects (20962743). The City Council previously approved the Second Amendment as presented in Table 1 with the Original Agreement and the First Amendment only requiring City staff approvals. Exhibits 4 through 9 include the Original Agreement, amendments and the proposed work scope and budget of the Third Amendment.
Table 1: Kittelson Roundabout - Costs by Contract Phase
|
Contract |
Approval Date |
Amount |
Expended (as of Jan 2023) |
|
Original Contract |
Nov 10, 2020 |
$37,850 |
$37,850 |
|
1st Amendment |
June 29, 2021 |
$37,120 |
$36,390 |
|
2nd Amendment |
Dec 21, 2021 |
$270,906 |
$158,634 |
|
3rd Amendment |
March 7, 2023 |
$1,130,000 |
Not applicable |
|
Total |
|
$1,475,876 |
$254,296 |
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This action is consistent with the Alameda Municipal Code and the City's Mobility Element (ME) of the General Plan (2021) with the four main goals of equity, safety, choices and sustainability. The Parks + Open Space Element specifically mentions the Cross Alameda Trail to promote its completion.
The General Plan specifically calls for the “use of roundabouts at intersections to improve the safety and lower maintenance costs compared to traffic signals”; when considering modification to an intersection, to “prioritize roundabouts and traffic circles for consideration”; to “reduce speeding and collisions on 4-lane roads on high-injury corridors, consider converting the 4-lane road to a 2-lane road with turning lanes, transit lanes, or bicycle lanes”, to “complete the Clement Avenue extension from Sherman Street to Grand Street and from Broadway to Tilden Avenue”; to “reconfigure Tilden Avenue into a 25 mile per hour, complete street with sidewalks, low-stress bikeways and safe pedestrian crossings”; and to “utilize former railroad and public rights-of-way for transportation improvements and extensions to the Alameda street grid and pathway network”.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Approval of the Clement/Tilden concept is categorically exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15301(c) Existing Facilities (Minor alterations to existing facilities including bicycle facilities) and Section 15304(h) Minor Alterations to Land and the creation of bicycle lanes on existing public rights-of-way. None of the exceptions to the categorical exemptions apply.
CLIMATE IMPACT
Since vehicle miles traveled in Alameda is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Alameda, City staff is expecting that the Cross Alameda Trail extension between Clement Avenue and the Miller-Sweeney/Fruitvale Bridge and a roundabout at Blanding/Tilden/Fernside would have a positive climate impact. The concept was developed to make it safer and more convenient to bicycle, walk and ride the bus and to reduce congestion and idling motor vehicles.
RECOMMENDATION
Endorse the Design Concept for the Clement Avenue/Tilden Way Project and authorize the City Manager to execute a Third Amendment to the Agreement with Kittelson & Associates to increase compensation by $1,130,000, including contingencies, for a total aggregate compensation not-to-exceed $1,475,876.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Thomas, Director of Planning, Building and Transportation
By,
Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Margaret O’Brien, Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. Existing Conditions Memo
2. Concept
3. Concept Analysis Memo
4. Agreement - Kittelson
5. First Amendment - Kittelson
6. Second Amendment - Kittelson
7. Third Amendment - Kittelson
8. Proposed Work Scope
9. Proposed Budget
cc: Erin Smith, Public Works Director